Mass. Vote Leaves Dems In Disarray

How ironic is it that the individual elected to replace Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate will provide the 41st vote to prevent Congress from completing action on Sen. Kennedy's dream of comprehensive health care reform? What will the demoralized Democrats do now?

The Democrats could try to have the House pass the Senate's version of reform as is, giving the bill the bum's rush through Congress before the newly elected Scott Brown can be sworn in.  They could also try to overturn or skirt the Senate rules requiring 60 votes to move  a bill to a vote without any chance of a filibuster by the minority.

But such desperate measures would likely turn out to be political suicide.

Voters are already disgusted with all the compromises and back-door deals hammered through to get us to this point in the health care debate. If the Democrats foolishly try to strong-arm into law a very unpopular bill, they will likely pay an even higher price at the polls come November by voters already fed up with business-as-usual on Capitol Hill.

It makes more sense to start from scratch on a new reform bill that actually has some Republican support–not a likely scenario until President Obama's third year in office, or perhaps even not before his second term…if he makes it that far.

President Obama and congressional leaders should seize the opportunity to tell recalcitrant Republicans to put up or shut up on health care reform. Their party has some good ideas (allowing sales across state lines, for example, along with medical malpractice reform), but bolder action is required to make sure everyone has affordable coverage.

Action is the key word. No more political grandstanding or photo ops. We need a real bipartisan effort to make sure more people are covered, and that consumers don't lose the coverage they already have.

This is a stretch–perhaps even a Utopian vision, I know, since Republicans don't want to hand President Obama any legislative victories before the midterm elections, if ever.

But do the Republicans really want to spend the rest of this year as the Party of No? Do they want to be tarred and feathered as the party that denied millions protection from insurers refusing them coverage due to preexisting conditions, or cancelling their coverage when they become ill?

Mr. Brown offers some hope of being in favor of reasonable health care reform. After all, as a state senator he voted in favor of the Massachusetts universal health-care law in 2006, which guarantees coverage for just about all state residents and requires everyone to obtain insurance.

If the Republicans simply gloat about their upset win in Massachusetts and sit on their hands waiting for November to complete their quest to retake power in Washington, they could come face to face with the same voter frustration and rage that doomed the Democrats this week in the backyard of the Kennedy clan.

And if the Democrats hold their own in November, but fail to regain their 60-vote margin in the Senate, then where will we all be? Will we have to face two more years of legislative gridlock? The country cannot afford to stand still when so many problems remain unresolved, including health care.

The real loser this week is not Martha Coakley–the lame Democrat who phoned in her campaign in Massachusetts until she woke up and realized the Senate seat was not hers for the taking. It is the American people who lose out–who remain at the mercy of a market where coverage is expensive, difficult to keep and confusing to navigate, a shell game all too often rigged against claimants when they are at their most vulnerable.

What do you folks think we should do now?